Terms of Service

Effective date: October 17, 2026

These Terms cover the website, web-application, and mobile-application design and build services provided through SethRicks.org, which — together with its services and obligations — is owned and operated by Northslate LLC, a United States limited liability company ("Northslate"). You'll still work directly with me, Seth Ricks; in these Terms, "Seth," "I," and "me" mean Northslate LLC, acting through Seth Ricks. All agreements, statements, and obligations previously made by or with Seth Ricks (sole proprietor) in connection with SethRicks.org are assumed in their completeness by Northslate LLC, and references to Seth in any earlier agreement now mean Northslate LLC. By signing up, you (the "client" or "you") agree to these Terms. When you check out, you'll tick a box agreeing to them — here's the plain-English version. Your continued use of this website, your site, the client portal, or any of my services also means you accept these Terms (updates are handled under Section 21). If you don't agree, please stop using the services and reach out so we can sort it out. They're written to be fair to both of us: clear about what you get, and clear about the few things that protect the work and keep this sustainable.

1. Services

I design and build custom websites and applications — landing pages, multi-page sites, e-commerce, music/studio sites, web applications (software you and your customers sign into from a browser), and mobile applications for iOS and Android — and keep them maintained and hosted for as long as your subscription is active. You also get a private client portal to track your project, view private previews of your site before launch (and leave feedback on them), upload photos for your site, manage your billing, and message me directly.

2. What your maintenance includes

Here's exactly what your monthly maintenance covers, so it's clear from day one. On every plan, your monthly fee always includes the essentials: keeping your site online and hosted, monitoring uptime, applying security and software updates, and fixing anything that breaks in what I built for you — at no extra charge.

Each plan also includes, every month, a set number of small change requests — quick updates like swapping text, images, prices, hours, or links — and a set number of new pages built for your site. How many of each depends on your plan (plans include the website care plans — Hosted, Managed, and Partner — Platform Care for custom platforms and apps, quoted per project, the legacy App Care plans for existing app clients, and the music-website plan). For Platform Care, your written quote sets the monthly fee and how many change requests are included. Your current plan, its price, and exactly what it includes are listed in the current Plans & Pricing (sethricks.org/plans), which I may update from time to time. If a change there affects the price of the plan you're on, I'll give you advance notice before it takes effect (see Section 5); routine updates to the schedule itself don't require anything from you.

How to request changes. Change and support requests must be submitted through the ticket system in your client portal (Portal → Support tickets). That's how requests are tracked, counted against your plan's monthly allowance, and queued for work — it protects both of us with a clear record of what was asked and when. If you send a request another way (email, text, phone, in person), I may ask you to file it as a ticket first, and work on a request isn't owed until a ticket for it exists.

Plan fees cover the service — outside costs are separate. On every plan (website care, Platform Care, and App Care alike), the monthly fee covers my work and the included essentials above. Third-party and usage-based costs that go beyond what your plan includes — things like infrastructure usage, paid outside services, or domain registration — are passed through to you at cost under Section 4, with the notice and approval protections described there. One exception in your favor: legacy App Care plans include the app-store developer account fees (Apple and Google) — you don't pay those separately. For Platform Care, your quote says whether those fees are included.

Please think of those monthly amounts as a friendly baseline rather than a hard limit. What counts as a "small change request" or a "new page" is ultimately at my discretion, and I may sometimes take on a little extra at no charge — but that's my choice in a given month, not a bigger allowance. Requests beyond your plan's monthly allowance can be billed as described below. Unused amounts don't roll over to the next month.

Larger work — things like adding pages beyond your plan's monthly allowance, building new features or integrations, a redesign, or setting up an online store or booking system — goes beyond routine maintenance. It's billed at my hourly rate shown on Plans & Pricing (currently $100/hour) or quoted as a separate project. Here's how that stays fair:

• Small requests: if you ask for a fix or change beyond your plan's monthly allowance, and it takes 2 hours ($200) or less for that request, your request is your okay to bill that time — no separate estimate needed.
• Bigger work: if I expect a request to take more than 2 hours (more than $200), I'll give you an estimate or a quote first and get your okay before billing for it, and I won't bill beyond it without your okay.
• No surprises on the invoice: hourly time is itemized on your invoice with what it was for. Work I do on my own initiative, and fixes to anything I built that breaks, are never billed this way.

As for timing, I handle requests as soon as I reasonably can. I don't promise a guaranteed turnaround, but I'll keep you in the loop on anything that takes longer. The one exception: if you purchase a Priority Launch option for a build, your guaranteed go-live date is stated in writing in your quote or receipt — and if I miss that date, I'll refund the priority fee (the priority fee, not the build fee, is what the guarantee covers).

3. Payment and billing

Each project has a one-time build fee plus a monthly maintenance fee that keeps your site live, updated, and supported. The exact amounts are shown at checkout, or — for quoted projects — in your written quote. By checking out, you authorize me (through Stripe) to charge the up-front fee right away and the monthly fee automatically each month until you cancel. Payments are processed by Stripe through hosted checkout and the Stripe Customer Portal; I never see or store your full card number. A valid promo code may waive the build fee and/or some monthly payments.

Auto-renewal, in plain terms: the monthly maintenance fee automatically renews each month until you cancel. You can cancel anytime — no phone call, no hoops — in the Stripe Customer Portal (reachable from your portal billing page), and you'll keep service through the end of the period you've already paid for.

Changing your plan. You can switch plans anytime from your portal billing page or by asking me. When you move to a higher-priced plan, the change takes effect right away and Stripe bills the prorated difference for the rest of your current month. When you move to a lower-priced plan, your current plan continues through the end of the month you've already paid for, and the new lower price begins at your next renewal. Switches are always to a plan on the then-current Plans & Pricing schedule — retired or legacy plans aren't available as switch destinations. (If you're on a retired plan, nothing changes for you until you choose to switch; you keep your current pricing.)

Approved one-off and custom charges. From time to time we may agree on work or costs beyond your monthly plan — for example an extra page, a new feature, a separate project, or a pass-through cost under Section 4. By keeping a payment method on file, you authorize me to charge that saved payment method through Stripe on a one-off, off-session basis for amounts you've agreed to, for hourly work you requested under Section 2, or for amounts otherwise owed under these Terms. I'll always tell you what a charge is for. The same $200 line applies throughout these Terms: requested work of 2 hours ($200) or less per request (Section 2), and outside costs of $200 or less in a billing period (Section 4), can be charged without a separate okay; anything over $200 that we haven't already agreed on gets an estimate or your okay before I charge it. Some charges may instead be sent as an emailed invoice with a secure Stripe payment link. You can update or remove your payment method anytime in the Stripe Customer Portal.

Quoted projects and deposits. Larger builds — platform-class websites, web applications, and mobile applications — are scoped and priced individually in a written quote. Unless your quote says otherwise, quoted projects are billed as a 50% deposit to schedule and begin the work, with the balance due at launch, before the project goes live. The total quoted price is your "build fee" for all purposes under these Terms. Optional add-ons you accept in the quote (for example a Priority Launch guarantee) are part of that quoted total.

Other payment options. Your quote may set a different schedule instead of the 50% deposit — for example paying in full up front at a discount, paying by milestone, or a monthly payment plan for the build fee. Whatever your quote says controls. A payment plan is a way of paying the build fee over time, not a subscription you can cancel out of: the full build fee is owed even if you cancel your monthly maintenance, and any remaining payments stay due on their schedule (or, if you prefer, all at once).

Phases and add-ons. Larger platforms are often built in phases: a first version launches, and later phases or add-on modules are quoted separately when you're ready. Nothing in a later phase is owed until you accept its quote.

Platform Care that grows with you. For custom platforms and apps, the monthly care fee is set in your quote and may include tiers that step up as your platform grows — for example by number of users, listings, or usage. Moving to a higher tier is a change to your monthly fee, so I'll give you the advance notice described in Section 5 first.

4. Costs from outside services

Good news first: your website's hosting is included in your monthly fee at no extra charge — I take care of it so you don't have to think about it. (In the rare case your site ever needs unusually heavy resources — for example, a sudden surge in traffic — I'll simply talk it through with you first, the same friendly way I handle any other outside cost below.) Separately, some websites use paid third-party services to power specific features — things like your domain name, email sending, AI features, APIs, payment processing, or other usage-based tools. Any fees those services charge in connection with your site or its features are your responsibility, including charges that go up or down with how much your site is used. Here's how I keep that fair and predictable: I'll give you advance, itemized notice of any such cost, and by using the service you authorize me to pass it through at cost — with no markup — either added to your next invoice or charged to the card on file. For anything beyond small, routine amounts — over $200 in a billing period that we hadn't already discussed — I'll check with you first, and you can always ask to see the underlying third-party invoice. To keep things simple, a recurring cost like your domain is usually passed through as a line on your monthly invoice rather than billed separately — it's still your cost, just bundled for convenience.

5. If the monthly fee ever changes

I may adjust the monthly fee from time to time. If I do, I'll email you at least 30 days beforehand, so it's never a surprise. If you're not happy with a change, just cancel before it takes effect — staying on past that date means the new price works for you. Fees already paid aren't refundable.

6. If a payment doesn't go through

If a monthly payment fails, no stress at first — your site stays online for a 7-day grace period while Stripe retries and we sort it out. If it's still unpaid after that, I may set your site to private (temporarily offline) until payment is back on track. Nothing is deleted during this time. If an amount stays overdue past the grace period, I may also pause work, apply a reasonable late fee, and any third-party costs I've already fronted on your behalf remain due.

7. Chargebacks and payment disputes

If you ever think a charge looks wrong, please reach out to me first — I'll always try to make it right, and most things are a quick fix. If instead you file a chargeback or payment dispute with your bank or card company for amounts you actually owe under these Terms (for example, fees for service you've already received), you agree to be responsible for the disputed amount plus any chargeback or processing fees and the reasonable costs I incur to resolve or collect it, including attorneys' fees. This doesn't apply to a genuine billing error on my end — only to disputes of amounts that are properly owed.

8. Ownership

Unless we negotiate otherwise in writing, I retain all ownership of the intellectual property, source code, software, and the finished product — websites, web applications, and mobile applications alike — including the designs, code, tools, systems, and assets I create in building and operating it. You don't receive ownership of the code, the site, or the app — instead, you're granted a license to use and operate it, as described next. (Section 15 covers how a negotiated ownership transfer works.)

9. Your license — and what you may not do

Your license to use and operate your website runs for as long as your monthly payments are current. If the subscription ends, the license ends and the site comes offline — section 10 explains exactly how that works.

Any private preview link I share with you is provided solely for your review and feedback while I build and maintain your site. The preview — and all of the code, design, and assets in it — remains my property under Section 8; it isn't a copy for you to keep, host, or reuse.

While your license is active, please use the site the normal way it's meant to be used. To protect the work itself (which stays mine under Section 8), you agree that you won't — and won't let anyone else — do any of the following:

• copy, reproduce, resell, redistribute, sublicense, or repurpose the code, design, or assets I created, outside of operating your own site;
• save, copy, scrape, screen-scrape, redeploy, or reuse a private preview (or its code, design, or assets), in whole or in part, anywhere other than the preview link I provide;
• reverse-engineer, decompile, or extract the underlying source in order to recreate the site somewhere else;
• remove, hide, or alter any ownership, copyright, or credit notices; or
• keep operating, hosting, or using the site (or a copy of it) after your license has ended.

10. Cancelling or winding down

You can cancel anytime in the Stripe Customer Portal — your site stays live through the end of the period you've already paid for, then comes offline. I may also decide, with notice, to stop hosting and supporting a site. If I ever do, I'll keep yours running and supported through the end of your current billing cycle, then take it offline — and I'll offer you a copy of your content first. You won't be charged after that.

11. Damages for misuse and unauthorized use

I really hope this section never matters — but because the kinds of harm below are real yet genuinely hard to measure in exact dollars, we agree in advance on fair, reasonable estimates (not penalties), so we both know where we stand:

12. Your content, reviews, and acceptable use

You confirm that you have the rights to the logos, text, images, and other content you give me, and that it's lawful. Please don't use your site for illegal, harmful, or abusive purposes — I may suspend a site that's used that way.

Honest reviews are always welcome. Nothing in these Terms stops you from sharing your honest opinion or review of my work, and I'd never penalize you for it. The only things I ask you not to post or share are content that is defamatory, harassing, or unlawful, or that reveals my confidential information or trade secrets.

13. Your promise to cover certain claims (indemnification)

If someone brings a claim against me because of something on your side of things, you agree to cover it. Specifically, you'll defend, indemnify, and hold me harmless from any third-party claim, loss, or reasonable cost (including attorneys' fees) arising out of: (a) content or materials you provided; (b) your use or misuse of the site or services; (c) your breach of these Terms; or (d) your violation of any law or anyone else's rights. I'll let you know about the claim, and you won't settle anything that affects me without my okay.

14. Domain name

If I purchase the domain name (URL) on your behalf, I own that domain. If you buy and own your own domain, it remains yours.

15. Transfer of ownership

I may, at my sole discretion, choose to transfer ownership of the code, site, or domain to you. I am under no obligation to do so. Nothing in this section limits my ownership under Section 8 unless and until I actually complete such a transfer in writing.

16. Backups and your data

I take reasonable care, but I'm not responsible for lost data — please keep your own copies of anything important to you.

17. Warranty disclaimer

18. Limitation of liability

19. Resolving disputes

Let's talk first. If a problem comes up, we both agree to try to resolve it directly and in good faith. Before either of us starts a lawsuit, the one with the concern will give the other written notice describing it and a 15-day chance to make it right. A lot of things end right here.

Where disputes go. If we still can't resolve it, any dispute arising out of these Terms will be brought only in the state or federal courts located in Utah — and where the amount fits, small-claims court is welcome. We both consent to that location and venue.

Loser pays. In any dispute arising out of these Terms, the prevailing party is entitled to recover its reasonable attorneys' fees and costs from the other.

Time limit. Any claim arising out of these Terms must be started within one (1) year after it arises, or it's permanently waived — except where the law doesn't allow such a limit.

20. Other important terms

Independent contractor. I provide these services as an independent contractor — not as your employee, partner, or agent — and nothing here creates any of those relationships.

You can't transfer this agreement. You may not assign or transfer these Terms, your subscription, or your license (including the site) to anyone else without my written consent. I may assign these Terms in connection with a sale or transfer of my business.

Things outside our control. Neither of us is responsible for delays or failures caused by events beyond reasonable control, including outages or failures at hosting, domain, payment, internet, or other upstream providers, or acts of nature.

If a part doesn't hold up. If any part of these Terms is found unenforceable, it's trimmed to what's allowed (or removed) and the rest stays fully in force.

The whole agreement. These Terms, together with what you agree to at checkout, are the entire agreement between us and replace any earlier discussions or promises. You're not relying on any statement that isn't written here.

Agreeing online counts. When you check the box and complete checkout, you're entering into a binding agreement electronically — which has the same legal effect as a handwritten signature.

21. Updates to these Terms

As the service grows, I may update these Terms. When I do, I'll post the updated Terms here with their effective date, and the next time you sign in to your client portal you'll be shown the update and asked to review and accept it before continuing. That portal notice is how I'll tell you about updates. An update applies to you from its effective date or the day you accept it, whichever is later; until then, the version you last accepted keeps applying. If you don't agree to an update, just let me know — your use of the site may be limited, or the site wound down under section 10 (you'll still keep the rest of the cycle you've paid for). Changes to your monthly fee follow Section 5, including its 30 days' notice.

22. Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Utah, United States, without regard to conflict-of-law rules.

23. Contact

Questions? Email hello@sethricks.org.